The Mornings After
by HyperOps
Summary: And in that moment, he thinks that life couldn't be more perfect. or Glimpses into Chrom and Robin's life together.
1. The Early Morning

**Notes: So I never write anything because I don't have any idea what I want to write but w** **aiting for Fire Emblem: Fates has made me revisit my obsession with Fire Emblem: Awakening, so** **at 3 in the morning a few nights ago an idea came to my head and the result is this fic.** **I had a specific idea in mind but when I started writing this came out instead, so I hope you enjoy it. I plan on adding more chapters but we'll see. Thank you for reading.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Early Morning**

When Chrom wakes to the sound of birds chirping, leaves rustling as a cool breeze sweeps across the camp along with the warm glow of the sun rising and the feel of a warm body next to his, he thinks that life couldn't be more perfect. He lies on the cot for a few quiet moments, savoring the feeling that time itself has frozen and this perfect, singular instance is forever ingrained in his memory.

The moment is broken when the body next to him moves and rolls over, snuggling closer to him. Chrom doesn't move and relishes what he is going to see; he turns his head slightly, careful to avoid disturbing the woman who has her head on his arm and one of her own slung haphazardly across his chest to see Robin's trademark white hair disheveled and unkempt.

Yet, despite this, Chrom smiles to himself because Robin is beautiful. She was beautiful when he first found her on the field in the middle of the day with Lissa by his side and Frederick not far behind, she was beautiful when she fought on the battlefield, a deadly combination of swordplay and magic, with her white hair billowing against the wind and blood splattered on her coat, her expression fierce as her eyes constantly scanned the battlefield, watching their comrades with a protective gleam in her eyes, and she was beautiful with tears streaking her face as she gently wiped away his, caressing his cheek with the uttermost care, as though a stray move would break him, as if Emmeryn's death hadn't already.

Chrom snaps back to reality when he realizes that Robin has woken and is currently sitting up, the blankets that used to cover them were now pooling around their hips, just barely covering enough. She attempts to rub the sleep from her eyes but gives up and just lets her hands fall onto her lap. Chrom's eyes trail them and stop at the ring that rests on her finger.

Without even realizing it, he reaches out a hand and gently places it over hers, thumb rubbing the ring and when he looks up he finds that Robin is already staring at him. They stay that way for what seems like forever, but is probably a few seconds at most, before the corner of Robin's lips pull up into a small smile before splitting open into a full on grin.

"What?" Robin laughs softly, eyes still playfully locked onto Chrom's.

"Nothing," Chrom starts to say before he quickly changes his mind and breathes out, "It's just – you're so beautiful."

The effect is immediate; a blush forms on Robin's face and begins to spread.

"I-" Robin starts but her mouth just hangs open, seemingly trying to form words but no sound comes out. The red has reached the beginning of her chest and she runs through her hair with her free hand, flustered.

Chrom laughs and pulls Robin to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Robin attempts to pull away, trying to look offended but quickly gives up the charade and just buries her head in Chrom's neck, her own arms snaking around his waist.

Chrom closes his eyes to enjoy the moment and hears Robin mumble something but the words are muffled.

"What?" he asks her, pulling away slightly to better hear her.

"I love you."

Chrom stares at her, smile on his face before he quickly whispers, "I love you too," as he leans towards her and pulls her into a heart stopping kiss. He chuckles softly as she returns it with just as much enthusiasm.

Before anything else happens they hear Frederick's voice just outside their tent, "Milord, Robin, training is starting soon."

Just as quickly Frederick briskly walks off; _No doubt off to wake the others_ , Chrom thinks with a smirk. Robin groans and just buries her head to his chest.

"Ugh, Frederick is going to be the death of me one day, I swear."

Chrom hums in agreement, and as much as he wants to hate Frederick at the moment, all he can think about is Robin and how beautiful she is. Robin looks up, expecting him to complain more but instead, is greeted with a content look on Chrom's face. She places her hands on his face and gently guides him into a soft kiss. When they pull apart they're both smiling, like they share a secret only the two of them are aware of.

Chrom understands that the morning will not last forever, and that by midday he's going to be cursing Frederick's name under his breath, but right now, sharing a smile with Robin, he thinks that he couldn't be happier.


	2. The Dead of Night

**Notes:** **Okay, so apparently I'm only inspired to write once a year in March. Anyways, I just finished finals and I was re-reading my old fanfiction and became inspired to write this chapter. I hope you guys like it, let me know in the comments! (Also, have you guys played Fates yet? I've only beaten Conquest so far but I loved it.)**

 **Chapter 2: The Dead of Night**

Chrom stands from his desk with his arms folded tightly across his chest as he watches the walls of the room darken just as the sun begins its routine descension. He takes a deep breath and drops his hands to his sides and tries to take a step towards the door. He stops halfway and sets his foot back down. He growls in frustration and runs his hand through his hair as he begins to pace back and forth across his office _._

 _This shouldn't be so hard_ , he thinks to himself _, There's no reason for me to be nervous_.

With the war with Plegia ended, and peace finally restored, Chrom and his Shepherds have returned to Ylisse as heroes. He's taken up the throne from Emmeryn with fraudulent confidence, fooling everyone but Lissa, Frederick, and Robin into believing his false assurances.

 _Robin_.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. When the war finally ended he couldn't stop himself from toying with the ring in his pocket until he finally found his courage to propose. When Robin said yes, Chrom knew in his heart it was meant to be, and the past few months have only strengthened his conviction. He's the happiest he's ever been, and despite some initial worry about a foreigner becoming the next Queen of Ylisse, the people have grown to love Robin as one of their own and embraced her with open arms.

Any other night, Chrom would be in bed with his arms wrapped around Robin and his face snuggled into the back of her neck and her hair, free of worries.

Tonight, though, was different.

 _We've already talked about this, she said that she's sure_ , Chrom tries to assure himself, _But what if she's not_ , the voice in his head refusing to cease reminding him of his doubts.

Chrom is snapped out of his thoughts when Lissa suddenly barges into the room so quickly that she almost slams into his chest.

"Lissa, wha-" Chrom begins to ask before he's interrupted by Lissa.

"Chrom!" she exclaims as she throws her hands up in the air in exasperation, a little too dramatically in Chrom's opinion.

Chrom opens his mouth to respond but before he can say anything Lissa continues, "What are you still doing here! Robin's been waiting in your guys' room for almost half an hour now! She's so anxious!"

Guilt immediately pervades his whole body. "Half an hour," he asks, "Are you sure?"

Lissa rolls her eyes in an even more dramatic fashion than Chrom thought possible.

"Yes, I'm sure," she reassures him, "Why are you taking so long?"

"I- I just had a lot of paperwork to look through today," Chrom stutters as he turns a slight shade of pink.

Immediately Lissa turns her head towards his spotless desk, free of any paperwork at all. She turns back to Chrom and tilts her head as she opens her mouth to say something before quickly changing her mind and deciding to just stare at Chrom, disbelief and judgment clearly expressed on her face.

Chrom sheepishly grins and rubs the back of his neck, "Okay, I could have picked a better lie but I panicked."

"Ya think?" Lissa exclaims as she rolls her eyes again before bursting out laughing almost at the same time as Chrom.

She sobers up quickly though and pauses for a moment before asking, "Chrom, are you okay? If you're having second thoughts I'm sure, no – I'm _positive_ Robin would understand."

Chrom sighs and goes back to crossing his arms as he avoids Lissa's questioning look. "It's just – I'm worried about Robin. What if it's too soon?"

Lissa's gaze softens considerably and she throws her arms around Chrom, surprising him with a tight hug. He hesitates for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and returning her affection.

"We both know Robin well enough to know that she'd tell you if she wasn't ready yet, Chrom," Lissa tells him.

"I know, but, still. It's a lot of responsibility, Lissa. I don't want her to feel pressured when we have all the time in the world," Chrom tries to explain.

Lissa smiles and says, "Go see her Chrom. Knowing her, she's already thought about this over a thousand times and she's probably made a huge list of pros and cons."

Chrom smiles at the idea, knowing Lissa isn't too far off, and takes a deep breath before releasing her. He straightens his shirt and posture, "You're right, I'll go now, I've been overthinking this far too much already." He gives her a smile before exiting his office to go to his shared room with Robin.

Outside the door, he takes one last deep breath before opening it softly. The first thing he sees is Robin in her usual night gown sitting on the edge of their bed with her leg bouncing up and down and her fingers tapping it nervously. As soon as the door opens she looks up and meets his gaze.

Relief spreads across her face and the tension that used to be apparent slightly lessens. She smiles at him and he can't help but return it.

"Hi."

Chrom's smile turns into a grin as he closes the door and walks over to her, bending down so he can gently grasp her face with both of his hands as he gives her a soft, loving kiss. "Hi," he exhales as he rests his forehead against hers.

Robin closes her eyes and basks in the moment for few, quiet seconds before she opens them again and asks, "What took you so long? I've been waiting for you for almost an hour."

Chrom sighs and Robin feels his hot breath against her lips, shivering at the feeling.

"I'm sorry," Chrom says, "It's just that – I … I was unsure."

Confusion flashes across Robin's face. "What do you mean?" she asks.

"I know that we've already talked about this, but I just want you to be sure," Chrom explains, "I want you to be honest with me and for you to know that it's okay if you want to wait some more. There's no rush, despite what my advisors have been hinting at you. We don't need to conceive an heir so soon."

Robin's features soften and she gently lifts a hand to stroke his cheek, "Chrom."

"Chrom, thank you," she tells him, "I know motherhood isn't easy, but I'm ready to try. Not being able to remember anything about my past has hurt, but I'm learning to accept that fact and move on. I want to create new memories Chrom, with you - and our family. "

Chrom's chest tightens as unwanted tears fall from Robin's face and he wipes them away to be rewarded with a watery smile from Robin.

"That's what I want too," he tells her, making sure to look directly into her eyes.

Her smile widens and she wraps her arms around his neck bringing him into a passionate kiss, "Then let's try to start our family, together," she whispers in his ear.

Chrom hums in agreement, too busy gently laying her back on the bed and kissing her to respond. Out of the corner of his eye he spots a parchment on the floor near Robin's desk. He suddenly guffaws as he sees the pros and cons' list. _Lissa was right,_ he thinks amusedly to himself.

"What?" Robin asks, as she spots the humor in his eyes.

"I love you"

Robin smiles and tells him, "I love you too," before bringing him back down for a kiss.

Nine months later, when he's holding Lucina in his arms and he's sharing an enormous smile with Robin, he thinks he couldn't be happier.


	3. Dusk Before Dawn

_Breathe_.

He can't move. He tries to open his eyes but he's unsure if he's even succeeded. He sees images of fighting and magic flashing in and out of his view, interchanging with darkness and nothingness.

 _Open your eyes_.

Feeling slowly comes back to him, starting first with his fingers, then spreading through his arms and throughout his body. He's able to lift his head a fraction off the floor, but even that causes immense pain to radiate throughout his brain.

 _Hurry_.

The voice repeats itself, _Hurry_. He groans, able to keep his head up and slightly lift himself off the ground, despite the incessant pounding in his head.

"Chrom."

He hears someone call his name, and forces himself to open his eyes. It takes a couple seconds - seconds that he doesn't have.

When he's finally able to consciously keep his eyes open and focused, he sees Sumia's frantic and concerned face staring back at him.

"Chrom," she repeats, unable to keep the worry and panic out of her voice. "Are you okay?"

Chrom groans in response. He knows that he's not one for mocking, but if he were able to give a semi-coherent and lucid response, he was pretty sure it would not have been so pleasant compared to the groan.

"What is it?" Chrom asks. Or he tries to ask. He's pretty sure another groan comes out instead.

Sumia's concerned face appears even more concerned that Chrom's lack of response. She frantically looks around before her eyes focus in on her target and yells, "Lissa!"

At first, Lissa doesn't appear to hear her. Sumia starts to call out again before she gasps in horror.  
Chrom lifts his head and sees a grimleal appearing behind Lissa with a sword raised, poised to strike at her head. Chrom tries to cry out but finds that he can't breathe, he can only look on in horror as the grimleal swings its sword.

Chrom blinks and it's over.

The grimleal lays dead, evaporating into smoke and Lon'qu stands in its place, with a livid expression on his face.

Lissa finally turns around and Lon'qu immediately lifts a hand, caressing her cheek for a quick second, battle be damned.

"Lissa!" Sumia calls out again, finally succeeding in gaining her attention. Lissa's eyes grow wide as she takes in Chrom's prone figure. She tightly squeezes Lon'qu's hand before rushing off and dropping to her knees in front of Chrom.

"Where does it hurt?" she demands, eyes roaming Chrom's whole body, staff poised at the ready.

Chrom groans in response.

"Okay," Lissa mutters under her breath, but not quite quiet enough for Chrom to not hear it, "that was helpful."

Sumia crouches down until she's near leveled to Lissa. "Is there anything I can do?" she asks, mouth straightened in determination.

"Turn him over," Lissa replies. Sumia does as she's told and is just barely able to contain her gasp. Lissa manages to stay more collected, but just barely. If Chrom wasn't paying as enough close attention to her as he was he would've missed the tiny bit of panic that flashed through her eyes before she managed to contain herself.

Chrom looks down, and immediately understands their reactions. He has a large gash just below his right breast that extends all the way down to his hip bone. It's bleeding profusely and that's when Chrom realizes that he's been lying in a pool of his own blood. For the first time in his life, he's truly afraid.

"Okay," she breathes out, "Chrom, this is going to hurt."

He groans and manages to make a noise that vaguely sounds like, "Okay."

Lissa raises her staff and Chrom feels blinding pain in the area where his wound is. He actually feels the skin stitching itself back together and tries but is unable to contain his cries of pain. He actually blacks out for a moment, but when he comes back to, he realizes he's squeezing Sumia's hand in a death grip and both of them are staring back at him, although Lissa is much more pale and shaken up than she was before she attempted to heal him.

He swallows and opens his mouth and is relieved that instead of groaning, he's able to raspily get out, "How long was I out?"

They smile and Lissa shakily replies, "Just a few seconds."

Chrom smiles back and opens his mouth to reply before a devastating roar shatters through their hearing. Chrom's head snaps up and he takes in the battlefield and sees Sheperds and grimleals alike both stopping their fighting for a second to look at the source of the noise.

Chrom follows their gazes and starts at what he sees. Robin standing alone, tome and sword in each hand with bruises and cuts scattered across her face and tears and holes cluttered across her robe staring at herself.

 _No. Not herself_ , Chrom thinks, _Grima_.

Her chest is heaving and the pony tails in her hair have become to come undone. Grima stares back at her in pain.

Chrom briefly thinks, _She's beautiful_ , taking in Robin's flowing hair and determined gaze but he catches a hint of pain and regret in her eyes and that's when he finally catches up.

 _Stupid_ , he mentally berates himself, _You're so stupid_ , before he frantically tries to clamber upright.

Lissa and Sumia tear their gazes away from Robin and jump back at his sudden attempt at standing.

"Chrom," Lissa says, startled, "You shouldn't strain yourself so much. I've just barely healed you and you still have a huge gash on your head!" Her arms are thrown in the air with slight exasperation as if to get across just how serious she's being.

"Chrom," Sumia begins before he cuts her off.

"Robin," he stutters out before tripping over himself as he attempts to run over to her.

Lissa and Sumia look at him in confusion. "I know you're worried about Robin, but she seems to be holding her own against Grima right now. She's strong." Lissa gets out.

"No, you don't understand," he breathes out, panicked. "Robin can't do this. I have to. She promised."

Sumia furrows her eyebrows in confusion, "Promised what?"

"I have to kill him. It has to be me." Chrom manages to spit out before he takes off at a run, ignoring the pain in his side, the throbbing in his head, and the ache of his body.

He calls out to Robin, breathless and frantic as he dodges grimleals and avoids running into his Sheperds as the fighting starts up again.

He calls out again before a figure catches his arm slowing him down for a second.

Lucina's eyes, which reflect his own so well, stare back at him in confusion. "Father?"

Chrom squeezes her shoulder before starting off again, cursing his delay. Lucina stares at his back for a second before throwing a glance at Gerome, who quickly kills a grimleal and nods his head in understanding at her. She takes off after her father without a second thought, with Morgan appearing at her side a couple seconds later, having seen the entire exchange a few paces away from where he was fighting back to back with Severa.

"Robin!" Chrom yells again, as he closes the distance between them. "Please, wait!"

Robin, chest still heaving, finally turns her body halfway and smiles at him, along with Morgan and Lucina, who still fall behind their father by a few paces.

"Chrom," Robin says, "Lucina, Morgan."

Somehow, despite all the fighting, Chrom is able to hear her clearly, and judging by the look on his children's faces as he glances back, so can they.

"I love you all, so dearly," she says, with a wobbly smile, "I wish I had more time with you. But I have to do this. I hope one day you understand."

Desperation which had radiated throughout Chrom's being now multiplied tenfold at Robin's words. No, he thinks. Please, no. He tries vainly to increase his speed, chest and lungs burning and side throbbing. As he gets closer he thrusts his hand out, as if to grab her.

"Please, Robin. No. I love you," Chrom somehow finds the breath to choke out.

Tears fall down Robin's face as she says, "I know. And I love you too, which is why I have to do this."

That's he gets before Robin turns around and thrusts her Levin sword straight through Grima's chest and heart, if he were to have one.

"NO!" Chrom cries out, despair quickly overwhelming him.

Grima's face twists in pain before his mouth twists into some evil grimace. "You think you've won, but you've doomed yourself as well," he gets out.

Robin simply replies, "But I've killed you; for good this time and for the rest of time after."

Grima manages to get out a choked laughter before he starts to dissipate into dark smoke. Robin takes a deep breath and drops her sword and tome before finally fully turning around, already starting to disappear as well.

She sees the expression of horror in Chrom's face reflected onto Lucina and Morgan's along with every Sheperd's face as well. Although, theirs are also mixed with confusion and jubilation as the grimleals begin to disappear in smoke.

Robin's eyes glance frantically across her family's bodies, as if trying to take in everything for the last time. "I'm sorry, but I had to do this, for you all, if not for the world." Robin says gently, although she can already begin to feel herself fading rapidly. "I love you. I know we'll meet again."

Chrom grabs out, just barely grasping her smoke before she disappears completely. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not again. This can't be happening again, he thinks to himself, dropping to his knees where Robin once stood, head bowed with tears streaming down his face. So close, he berates himself, I should have run faster. I should have done something MORE. Images of Emmeryn flashes through his eyes as he thinks back to the other time he wasn't fast enough.

He hears footsteps skid to a stop beside him, and the heavy breathing of his children before Morgan asks, "F-Father? What happened? Where's Mother? What happened to Grima?"

Chrom lifts his head, crying as the rest of the Sheperds come to gather around him, "They're gone. They're both gone."

* * *

He's sitting at the head of a table, trying but unable to focus on his advisers' bickering. All he can do is stare at the ring he plays with in his hand, his wedding band. Half a year has passed since Robin sacrificed herself for the world and while her absence is felt, almost everyone has more or less moved on with their lives; everyone except for Chrom.

Ever since Robin defeated Grima Chrom has spent all his free time searching for her. He invented reasons to visit neighboring states to search. Hell, he's even visited Plegia.

At first, everyone was eager to help him, putting their lives on hold to find the woman who changed all of their lives with her sacrifice. But as the months passed, many accepted her fate and decided to move forward.

He's so caught up in his thinking that he doesn't realize that the bickering has stopped and all his advisers have turned to him expectantly until Frederick clears his throat from behind him.

"What?" Chrom asks as he glances up.

His advisers stare at him in disbelief and one speaks up, "Your grace, we asked what you thought about expanding the army?"

"What? Why?" he asks. "War is over, we have no need to maintain such a large army."

"Yes but -"

"No," Chrom says, "That's final."

His advisers look like they want to argue but Frederick clears his throat, "Perhaps we should end this meeting early?"

Chrom nods. "Very well," he says, "You're all dismissed."

The advisers all bow and start to file out. Chrom slumps even more in his chair and sighs, running a hand through his hair.

"Milord, perhaps we should go dine," Frederick suggests, "You haven't sat down and had a proper meal with the rest of the royal family since –"

At Chrom's angry expression Frederick abruptly cuts off.

"Apologies, Milord," Frederick starts again hesitantly, "It's just that I know the royal children have missed your presence, Lissa as well."

"Another time Frederick, I wish to be alone," Chrom replies. After Frederick bows and leaves, Chrom gets up to stare out the window. He sighs as he twists his wedding band back on his ring finger. "I'll find you, Robin. I swear it."

* * *

Another two months of fruitless searching pass before something in Chrom breaks. He shuts himself in his room and refuses to open the door for anyone. He stays locked up for a week, barely eating the food that servants have delivered every day before his family finally stages an intervention.

"Father?" Lucina asks, knocking on the door with quiet precision. Chrom doesn't answer.

"Father, please, come out and talk to us," Lucina pleads. "We miss you."

"Yeah, big brother, please come out and talk to us!" he hears Lissa chime in.

After waiting a moment and receiving silence, Lissa sighs. "Well, we won't leave until you come out!"  
Around midnight, Chrom finds that the jug of water the servants had brought in earlier had run out. He sighs, and hopes that Lissa and Lucina have left, their muffled voices long quieted from when they first arrived.

He opens the door and is startled as he comes face to face with Lucina. Her eyes widen and she quickly gestures to Lissa behind her and Morgan, who is sitting against the wall quietly, "Quick, Father's here!"  
Morgan quickly scrambles up and Lissa immediately runs to Chrom and slams the door shut behind him, leaving him trapped in the hallway. Chrom stands wide-eyed at the sudden intervention.

"We're sorry Father, but you weren't responding to anything else," Lucina gently explains.

"Yeah big bro, I don't even remember the last time you ate dinner with all of us!" Lissa chimes in.  
Chrom blinks, "I'm sorry Lissa, I just haven't been in the mood for it. Family dinners just don't feel the same." The "without her" goes unsaid.

At this, Lissa's expression softens, "Hey, I know that you miss her. We all do too. She would want you to move forward and stay strong though, Chrom."

Lucina nods and adds with a watery smile, "Father, we miss Mother too, but Aunt Lissa is right. I wish I had had more time with Mother, but this past year was enough to show me what a wonderful and truly amazing person she was. If she said that we'll see her again then I believe her. I know that nothing would stop her."

Chrom takes a moment to digest their words and sighs, "You're both right. Of course you are. It's just – I'm trying."

Lissa gives a gentle smile, "We know. We're here for you. You don't have to grieve alone."

Chrom gives a weak smile and Lissa takes this as a sign to go in for a hug, running and wrapping her arms around her brother, limbs practically flailing. Lucina watches for a moment before Chrom opens one of his arms and gestures with his head to join too. After hesitating, she calmly walks over and firmly hugs him, burying her face in his neck. Chrom looks over to Morgan, the normally cheerful boy had been unusually quiet so far, and gestures not unlike how he did with Lucina seconds ago.

Instead of joining the giant hug, Morgan stares before loudly shouting, "No!"

All three of the royal family break away from their hug with a start. Lucina recovers first and asks, "Morgan, what –"

"No," Morgan repeats again, in that quiet kind of voice with anger lingering barely underneath the surface of a calm façade, just a small increment away from becoming tangible.

Chrom opens his mouth to speak, but before he can get anything out Morgan cuts him off, "You miss Mother. You miss her so much it hurts. And I know this. I miss her so much it hurts too. I lost her for a while before I found her again, only to find out that she was a different person. But later, I found out she was exactly the same person. Now I've lost her again. And I will never give up searching for her, and I know that you won't either, Father. But you haven't done anything except keep to yourself. I need you! Lucina won't admit it but she needs you too! I've lost my mother, but it feels like I've lost my father too."

With this, Morgan turns and stalks away leaving Lucina, Chrom, and Lissa shocked and staring after him.

* * *

Chrom lifts up his sword, blocking what would have been a fatal blow, before lunging with the hilt aimed towards his opponent's temple. Before it can connect, a leg sweeps out, almost catching him before he can sidestep it. This causes an opening and his opponent raises his sword and brings it down. Chrom catches it against his own sword and swings with both hands in a wide arc, causing his opponent's sword to fly several feet away. Chrom immediately brings Falchion up and points the tip just at his opponent's neck and commands, "Yield."

The figure breathes heavily, not doing anything else for a second before a hand lifts up and pulls down the hood. Morgan smiles.

"F-F-Father," Morgan gets out, trying to speak before properly catching his breath. "I-"

Chrom cuts him off with a chuckle, "Morgan, relax. Breathe."

Morgan decides to take his advice and does just that, raising his arms and linking his fingers at the back of his head.

After a sufficient amount of time just breathing, Morgan finally says excitedly, bouncing up and down on the tip of his toes, "Father, I almost had you! Did you see it!"

Chrom lets out a hearty laugh and ruffles Morgan's blue hair, "I saw it alright. You've been improving greatly, Morgan. I'm so proud of you." After a moment's hesitation he adds, "And your mother would have been too."

Morgan deflates for a second before his previous cheerfulness comes back, although at an obviously lower intensity, "I know. And I'm going to keep practicing my tactics until I get to her level. Although, I'm sure that won't be for a while."

"Knowing your Mother, I don't doubt you," Chrom agrees, "But also knowing you, I know that you'll surpass her skill eventually. Just like she would have wanted."

Morgan beams a wide grin at his Father, throwing his arms around him in a hug, which Chrom returns after his initial surprise.

At this moment, Frederick and Lissa storm onto the training area from the castle, the doors slamming loudly into the wall. Morgan and Chrom startle apart and stare in bewilderment at the two, almost frantic friends.

"Milord-"

"Chrom-"

Both try to speak at the same time and the resulting mumblr of words is just too much for Chrom. He holds up a hand, and when they look like they're about to protest Chrom gives them a look. Just when he thinks they've finally stopped Lissa blurts out, "But Chrom! We found her!"

"We _think_ we've found her," Frederick is quick to correct.

But Chrom doesn't appear to be paying attention to him. All he heard was _we found her._ He doesn't even need to think twice to know who they're talking about before he rushes up to Lissa and grabs both of her arms, not doing a very good job of trying to resist shaking her.

" _Where?_ " he demands.

"I know it's going to sound crazy, but it's the same place we stumbled upon the first time we saw her!" Lissa exclaims.

Chrom lets go of her arms and takes a step back in confusion, "But -, what -, how? That was the first place we checked!"

"I know," Lissa says, "But Chrom, think, what day is it?"

Chrom's face scrunches up in confusion, "I don't understand."

Lissa lets out an overly dramatic sigh, and almost face palms in exasperation before catching herself. "Chrom. Think."

He tilts his head and opens his mouth to explain that he did think, and yet, he still doesn't understand what Lissa is hinting at. Before he can get a single word out, it hits him.

"My Gods. It's been a year!" he exclaims.

Lissa claps excitedly, "Yes! It's been exactly a year since we've defeated Grima!"

Morgan finally decides to interrupt, just as excited as Lissa, "Father! Father is it true? Is she really back?"

"I - I'm not sure. I'm going to find out. Go tell your sister, and wait for us to come back." Chrom responds.

"But-"

"Morgan, please," Chrom all but begs.

Morgan nods and leaves towards the castle to find Lucina, but adds, "Okay. Bring her home, Father."

Chrom nods seriously before taking off immediately towards the main gate of the castle, with Lissa and Frederick right behind him.

When they near the field where Robin was first found, Chrom abruptly stops, almost causing Lissa to bump into him, just barely able to sidestep.

"Chrom?" Lissa asks.

"S- sorry," Chrom breathes out. "What if she's not there?"

"Chrom," Lissa says in a soft voice. She reaches out and squeezes his hand, "She'll be there."

Frederick doesn't say anything, but instead places his hand on Chrom's shoulder in silent comfort.

"You're right," Chrom agrees, taking one last deep breath before heading towards the spot where Robin should be.

As they approach, Chrom sees the beginning of a dark coat and a hint of purple, and immediately breaks out into a run, Lissa and Frederick not far behind.

"Chrom," Lissa says, "We have to do something…"

Chrom smiles, "What do you propose we do?"

"I… I dunno," Lissa stammers.

The dark shape begins to stir and Chrom's smile turns softer.

"I see you're awake now," Chrom comments.

"Hey there!" Lissa softly says.

"There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know," Chrom says, smiling splitting into a grin. "Give me your hand."

As Chrom holds out his hand, the figure on the ground takes it and is immediately met with Chrom's shoulder, as he pulls her into a bone-crushing hug.

"I've found you," he says hoarsely into Robin's ear, tears visible and just on the precipice of falling.

Chrom, too caught up in the moment, doesn't notice that the figure doesn't return the hug and doesn't reply. When Chrom finally pulls back, aching to take in his wife's face again, he's met with a confused expression.

"Robin?" Chrom asks, confusion taking up his own features at her lack of response.

"I'm sorry," Robin begins, and at those words Chrom's heart breaks all over again. He's so numb that he barely hears the rest of her sentence, "But I don't know you. Who are you?"

* * *

The walk back to the castle is taken with relative silence. Chrom is completely silent as Lissa hesitantly chatters with a confused Robin, throwing worried glances at Chrom every now and then. Frederick tries to talk to Chrom a few times before finally giving up and just walking beside him in silent comfort.

Chrom can't believe it. He's found Robin only to find out that he hasn't, really. _She doesn't remember me. She doesn't remember anything._

Chrom tries not to cry as he stares longingly at Robin, who's shyly chattering with Lissa. _This must be what Morgan felt, when we first found him_ , Chrom thinks. _Oh gods, Morgan. Lucina._

And just like that, at the thought of his and Robin's children waiting excitedly at the castle for the return of their mother has the tears that Chrom had been fighting so hard to keep back falling freely on his face. _She doesn't remember them either. They'll be devastated._ The thought of Robin not remembering their children makes his heart break, just a little bit. It completely shatters when he thinks about little Lucina, only 18 months old, left with a mother who doesn't even remember her.

Robin just happens to glance back at that moment and sees Chrom crying. She glances at Lissa who's still talking to her before slowing down and waiting until Chrom is next to her. "What's wrong?" she asks.

Chrom starts. He doesn't even know where to begin. "N-, it's nothing." he manages to get out, his voice choked up with tears.

Robin frowns, "It doesn't seem like it's nothing." After a moment's silence from Chrom, she adds, "I'm sorry if I'm overreaching, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"No!" Chrom gets out, "It's not -, I'm not -, It's just -"

Chrom despairs, unable to think of how to respond and desperately not wanting to waste this chance with Robin.

Robin stops him by grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Chrom's face shoots up, frantically searching her face. All he sees is shock and confusion, _She doesn't understand why she grabbed my hand._ The hope that hand sprouted at the gesture soon dies again. He squeezes her hand back before she can pull away, and smiles at her.

Robin smiles back and while she grabbed his hand in comfort out of instinct, Chrom realizes that there's still a chance that she hasn't completely forgotten, and hope once again begins to grow.

* * *

The reunion back at the castle went as well as could be expected. An excited Morgan and a barely contained Lucina rushed out through the gates the first moment Robin became visible. They smothered her in a hug only to be greeted the same way Chrom was. Chrom's sad, shake of his head did little to soften the crushing feeling of their mother not remembering them.

Robin, as if sensing the disappointment radiating from the blue-haired family, frowned. She studied them but couldn't figure out what she was missing until the boy spoke.

"Mother…"

The word hit her like a bolt of thoron. _Mother_ , she thought. _He means me. Oh gods._ It all clicked into place then. The way Chrom had embraced her when she had woken up, and the way his face fell when she didn't recognize him.

And these two children in front of her. With their hair and some of their features, it's clear to see that they're Chrom's children. If they're calling her "mother," then that must mean she's married to Chrom.

Chrom. Who is the Ylissean Exalt, according to what his sister, Lissa, was telling her on the way to the castle. Which means that she's queen. _Queen._ All of this is too much for her to process at once. She barely hears concerned gasps as she falls forward, fading into unconsciousness. The last thing she sees is Chrom's panicked, concerned face as he catches her in his arms before she can hit the ground.

* * *

Chrom is barely keeping himself awake, having been sitting by Robin's bedside for the past twelve hours. After the day he's had, he's surprised he hasn't knocked out yet. Despite the fact that Robin didn't seem to remember anything, or anyone, the fear that shook him when she collapsed was akin to when she dealt the killing blow against Grima. According to Lissa, she probably passed out due to stress and exhaustion so she should be fine. Still, though. Chrom just got her back, even if she isn't the _her_ that he had lost, and he wasn't willing to take any risks.

A loud groan interrupts him from his thoughts and his head immediately shoots up, eyes frantically roaming Robin's face and body, looking for any sign of discomfort.

"Robin?" he asks hesitantly, hands outstretched, not quite touching her. He waits patiently as her eyes flutter open and she blinks a few times to get rid of the grogginess.

"C - Chrom?" she asks, "What happened?"

"You fainted," Chrom gently tells her, "Lissa said it was from stress and exhaustion."

Robin gives a weak chuckle, "Not surprising, considering the series of shocks I've received."

"You never did take care of yourself that well," Chrom reminisces. He regrets it immediately as Robin begins to frown.

"I suppose I'll have to take your word for it then," Robin finally says.

Awkward silence permeates the room as Robin looks everywhere but at Chrom. Chrom, meanwhile, is desperately searching his mind for something to talk about that isn't a reference to their old lives that Robin can't seem to remember. He draws a blank.

Luckily, as if the universe senses the terribly awkward situation and decided to take pity on them, Lissa enters the room.

"Robin!" Lissa exclaims, "You're awake!"

"Yeah," Robin weakly smiles.

"How are you feeling?" Lissa softly asks, concerned laced in her voice as she automatically switches to healer mode. She walks over to the bed, staff in hand and only barely sparing Chrom a glance. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No," Robin trails, "It's more...It's nothing physical, really. I just feel tired, and my head is groggy and dull."

Lissa nods, expecting this. "That's not surprising; who knows how long you've been at the field."

Robin frowns again and Chrom suddenly feels annoyance at Lissa for upsetting her. He opens his mouth to say something, maybe change the topic but then Robin says, "How...how did I get there, anyways?"

Lissa and Chrom exchange a surprised glance before Lissa says, "We don't really know...We've been searching for you for about a year but never saw any sign of you."

"You don't remember anything from the past year? At all?" Chrom asks.

"I -, No, I don't," Robin realizes, clearly troubled.

"So you just don't remember anything?" Chrom pushes.

"No." Robin says, hesitating before adding, "Should I?"

Caught off guard, Chrom says, "I, I guess not?"

"Y'know," Lissa pipes up, "This isn't the first time we found you laying in that field with no memory."

"What, really?" Robin asks, surprised.

"Yep. You didn't remember anything back then either." Lissa tells her.

Robin licks her lips, "Did I… ever get my memory back?"

The hesitation from Chrom and Lissa gives her her answer, but Lissa still replies, "No."

Robin's face falls and Chrom immediately blurts, "But you made new ones!"

As Robin's attention turns to him, he blushes, but refuses to take back his words. In a much more composed manner, he says, "You built a new life, and made new memories. It troubled you, at first, but you made friends, and a family. Eventually you were able to let go of your uncertainty about your unknown past, accept the present and look towards the future." Chrom hesitates, feeling like his words are coming out wrong, but pushes on. "Robin, I know you must feel like you don't know anything right now, especially not yourself. You're probably terrified and confused, and I understand. But trust me when I say that _we_ know you. You're brave, and strong, and kind, and caring and incredibly intelligent. I'm just asking you to trust yourself, and trust us. Give us a chance to make a new future again, together."

Chrom's earnest gaze remains steady, never leaving her own. He offers her his hand. After a second, she takes it.

* * *

 **A/N:** So I hope you enjoyed this! I don't know if anyone reads Chrobin fics anymore, but if you happened to read this, then thank you. My intention for this fic was to have loosely connected, harmless fluff. Somehow this chapter turned into angst city. Fear not, an epilogue is planned. I'll try not to take too long to write it.

Also, I haven't played FE:A since 2013, so I don't know how long the game spans. Sorry about that.


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